In England, a FIFA player invested all his savings into packs for FIFA 20 Ultimate Team. Now the debate about loot boxes is back in the headlines of the British press.
The topic of loot boxes keeps coming up, especially in relation to FIFA. Players often get lost in the gambling-like mechanics. EA itself once described the loot boxes as a “fairly ethical surprise mechanic.”
Now the issue is flaring up again in Great Britain after the BBC reported on the case of a 21-year-old FIFA player.
This incident involves FIFA 20: The Englishman Jonathan Peniket invested the savings that his parents and grandparents had put aside for his future into FIFA packs. According to his own statement, he was looking for a distraction during a difficult time and became addicted to “the slightest chance at top cards.”
His first credit card worsened the problem in FIFA
How did it come to this? In an interview with the BBC (via BBC), Jonathan explains that he was looking for a distraction during a hard time in his personal life. In 2017, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he didn’t know what his life would look like after graduating from school. So he immersed himself in FIFA and started investing money into packs. The excitement and thrill were his escape from the problems, Jonathan recounts.
At first, it was only small amounts he financed with FIFA vouchers. But when Jonathan turned 17, his buying behavior changed: “When I turned 17, I got my first credit card and suddenly the decision to spend money was made in seconds. After all, it was now just a few clicks away, without needing to buy vouchers and worrying about my parents discovering it.”
And he did, even though Jonathan knew how his chances for top cards stood: “I understood that the chances of getting my favorite players were slim.”
But Jonathan couldn’t stop: “I started spending 30 pounds (33.50€) a day, then 40, and then 50. When my credit card blocked my transactions, I would throw in 80 pounds (89.30€) into the game 4 or 5 times each night.”
In the end, Jonathan spent 2,700 pounds (3,015 euros) on FIFA packs—money that his parents and grandparents had saved for his education.
Although packs can also be bought with earned FIFA coins, the prices for card packs are quite high, and it’s generally more worthwhile to buy desired players on the FUT transfer market with the coins.
The topic of loot boxes is now under scrutiny in Great Britain
Here is the current status: Right now in Great Britain, the situation is similar to many other European countries. Loot boxes in video games are not recognized as gambling here, justifying that there is no possibility of cash payout.
However, the BBC report about Jonathan, along with a petition that has gathered 45,000 signatures, now calls for loot boxes to be classified as gambling. This has prompted a response from the British government.
In it, it states (via Eurogamer) that the government is willing to take measures to ensure that users, especially young people, are protected. However, the situation must first be reassessed.
This is what EA Sports says: In response to a current inquiry from the BBC, Electronic Arts did not comment. However, in previous statements, EA denied any comparisons with gambling. The game is also completely playable without spending real money.
Additionally, the developer stated that player welfare is important and is prioritized in all games, including FIFA. As such, there are options for all games to restrict spending through parental controls.
Riot Games is currently being scrutinized as well, as they charge a whopping 95 euros for 6 new items (including 4 skins) in Valorant. Our author Jürgen Horn has listed the pros and cons here and explains why the high price can even be justified in some cases.
